The Meaning of Glee
by HarryPotter'sgirl17
Summary: The Glee club is struggling, Will's heart is breaking and everything looks grim... until someone shows them the true meaning of 'glee'. Set after 'Mattress'.
1. A New Gleek

**Chapter One: A New Gleek**

Will Shuester was walking around the school in a daze, going through the motions of his day as if on autopilot. His world was in shambles and he had no idea what he was going to do to put it right again.

How could Terri lie to him like that? For months, she made him believe he was going to be a father, working so hard to make sure his little girl was going to have everything she needed, only to find out the whole thing was a sham, a false hope, a lie…

Did she really believe that he would leave her if there was no baby? He knew that their relationship had changed, but that was because he had found something he really wanted to do with his life. Was that such a bad thing? Was he really such an awful and unapproachable person that it was easier to lie to him than to just be upfront with him and tell him the truth?

Finding out the truth had been so painful, so crushing. He had found Terri's fake baby bump and confronted her about, had the evidence in his hand and she still tried to hold onto the lie, tried to make him ashamed of what he was accusing her of.

That had hurt most of all, that he had proof of her lie and she tried to make him the bad guy and herself the victim, make him ashamed of doubting her honesty.

He couldn't stay there after that and spent the night at the school, barely getting any sleep as he tried to figure out when it all had changed, when had they became two separate people instead of the loving couple from his high school days?

She had said the reason they had worked out for so long was because he had been lacking in confidence, that she had been the strong one in their relationship. It made it sound like she wanted a doormat instead of a husband…

Will was drawn out of his thoughts by the sound of the Spanish class door opening and a new student being lead inside by none other than Mr., Figgins.

"Hello there, students, Mr. Shue, this is Joy Sanders. She has just joined McKinley and will be your peer from today on. Please welcome her with the utmost respect."

Finished with his little speech, Figgins left the classroom, and everyone's attention was focused on the girl currently standing in front of the class.

She was gazing across the classroom, looking at every student for a few seconds with eyes that Will could see were a grayish shade of blue and set in a face that was undecorated with any kind of make-up, unlike most of the other girl's at McKinley High. She was dressed in a dark blue sweater with matching jeans a few shades lighter than the shirt, immediately earning her popularity points due to the fact that her outfit was color coded and looked good on her. Her pale lips pursed as she took in her peers before she turned to Will, brown hair waving in her ponytail, clearly waiting for something to happen.

It took him a few minutes to realize she was waiting for him to assign her a seat so the class would stop staring at her, "Oh, yes. Finn, would you raise your hand so Mrs. Sanders-"

"It's Joy."

Will blinked a few times, surprised that she had spoken, before asking, "Excuse me?"

"My name is Joy, not Mrs. Sanders," The girl didn't add the usual joke that followed and instead said, "I don't like the 'Mrs." stuff."

"Alright then, Finn, could you raise your hand so Joy knows where to sit?" At his exaggerated use of her name, Joy grinned at him and Will found himself smiling back, for the first time in days.

"Sure, Mr. Shue," Finn raised his hand and a few seconds later, Joy was situated next to him, still smiling as she asked him to help her find out how much she had missed in the class.

Will went back to teaching his students, a little more interest in his movements as he took care to explain things more clearly so that his new student would be able to catch up to her classmates.

"Hey, Joy, is your dad a Colonel or something?"

Will was about to tell the hazer to keep their eyes on their own work, but Joy surprised him by taking care of them herself.

"No, he's a Major. Why?" Her gazed found her would-be tormentor and pinned him there, making him squirm under the scrutiny.

"N-no reason," The boy stammered, leading his friends to laugh at caught instead of the new girl.

"Hmm," was her only response before she went back to catching up with Finn's bumbling, but well-intended help.

_**Well**_, Will thought as he turned back to the board, outlining the lesson they were going to learn, _**this is going to be interesting**_…

* * *

Will didn't know why he was surprised to see her at Glee practice later; something had told him that he would be meeting Joy again that day, but the moment she walked through the door, Will felt shocked that she would throw away any kind of high school social status/popularity on her first day there.

"Can we help you?" Rachel beat Will to the question, probably thinking that she was lost or needed one of them for something, but Joy turned to Will before answering.

"I would like to join Glee."

There were a couple of thuds as people dropped things in shock, but Joy didn't bat an eye as Kurt asked the question on everyone's minds, "And why would you do something like that? Do you like a face full of Slushie every day?"

"No," Joy looked confused at Kurt's last statement, but continued on anyway, "I want to join Glee because I thought it would be fun, I like singing and dancing, and I have a reason to do both here. I don't really care what other people say, I like Glee."

Will looked at the rest of his kids to see what they thought of their new addition; Artie, Tina, and Mike seemed interested, Kurt looked bored, Finn was confused, Quinn and the rest of the 'cool' kids were trying to seem as if it was all beneath their notice, Mercedes was telling Joy about the daily rituals the Glee club had to go through while Puck was giving her his patient 'sexy stare' that she was completely ignoring.

"Why don't we hear how you sound, and then decide?" Will suggested the very same tryout the rest of Glee went through, the only difference was that the rest of the class would be watching Joy instead of just him and the pianist.

Looking a little nervous, Joy nonetheless nodded at the suggestion and went to stand by the piano. She seemed to consider her selection for a few minutes and the rest of the Glee members took that time to find seats, mixing up much more than when they first started.

Looking at the mixed-up seating arrangements, Will was gladdened by the thought that, no matter what, nobody had a cliché in Glee…

Finally making up her mind, Joy leaned over and whispered her song into the pianist's ear and moved around so that she was standing in front of the rest of her potential peers.

At the first notes of the song, a few Glee members' faces took on looks of recognition, but Will didn't have any time to think about that because Joy had started to sing:

_Remember how you used to say _

_You couldn't wait till tomorrow for a brand new day _

_No fuss when ya had to ride the bus_

_You just add a little blush _

_To paralyze your school crush _

_Now you're older and the weight is on your shoulder _

_Make the world a little colder _

_No more hidin' in the old day _

_Be strong _

_Don't you give up hope _

_It will get hard _

_Life's like a jump rope _

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down yeah _

_Cause it will get hard_

_ Remember life's like a jump rope_

It was like she **knew**; she **knew** what Will had been feeling, what nearly **everyone** at Glee had been feeling and was just singing what they couldn't say. Will watched as Joy put every ounce of feeling into her song and knew right then that Glee was going to be one member stronger when she was finished…

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down yeah _

_It will get hard _

_Cause it will get hard _

_There'll be a bump and there will be a bruise _

_There'll be alarms and there will be a snooze_

_There'll be a path that you will have to choose _

_There'll be a win and there will be a lose and _

_You gotta hold your head up high and _

_Watch all the negative go by _

_Don't ever be ashamed to cry _

_You go ahead _

_Cause life's like a jump rope _

Several Glee members were swaying to the song, clapping along, Mercedes and a few others even singing. The smile on Joy's face stretched from ear to ear as she saw the effect her song was having on the class.

To his amazement, Will found himself moving and singing along as well, for the first time in days. It was as if Joy's singing was lifting the weight they all felt… somehow making it easier to bear…

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down yeah _

_It will get hard _

_Remember life's like a jump rope _

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down yeah _

_It will get hard _

_Come on _

Joy suddenly turned so that Finn, Quinn and Will were in her direct line of vision as she sang the next words, once more giving Will the unsettling feeling that she somehow **knew**…

_I want to tell you that everything will be okay _

_That everything will eventually turn itself to gold _

_So keep pushing through it all _

_Don't follow, lead the way _

_Don't lose yourself or your hope _

_Cause life's like a jump rope _

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down yeah _

The Glee club could no longer stay seated, they all rose and began to dance and sing along, one child giving the lead to the other, melody lines and harmony lines mixing, becoming the group that Will loved to see…

Nevertheless, he was a little startled when one of them grabbed his hand and insisted he danced along, which he did, feeling as if something inside of him had been freed…

_You stomp your feet so hard you make it pound _

_Raise the bottom to the top _

_And now we're never coming down _

_Up down stomp your feet spin around _

_Clap hands to the rhythm _

_Then you slip down _

_You stomp your feet so hard you make it pound_

_ Raise the bottom to the top _

_And now we're never coming down _

No more thoughts of Terri, the baby that didn't exist, and the almost certainty of the end of his marriage filled Will's mind anymore; now, he was with his kids, doing something they all loved, and it was not lost on him that this feeling of euphoria was brought on by a girl named **Joy**.

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down yeah _

_It will get hard _

_Remember life's like a jump rope _

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down yeah _

_It will get hard _

_Cause it will get hard _

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down yeah _

_Life's like a jump rope _

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down _

_Up down yeah _

_Whoa oh _

_Cause life's like a jump rope_

After holding the last note for a few seconds, Joy looked up to see Will Shuester holding his hand out, the first genuine smile seen in the choir room since the 'mattress incident'.

"Welcome to Glee."

* * *

_Song is Jump Rope By Blue October_


	2. Living Arrangements

**Chapter Two: Living Arrangements**

Mr. Shue's excitement and generally upbeat mood was quickly picked up by the other members of Glee, and that day's practice went by with much more enthusiasm than it had been.

Not to say there wasn't the usual clashes; Rachel claiming nearly every solo, Mercedes demanding to use her 'chocolate thunder' and the football players and Cheerios complaining about practice conflicts. All in all, a normal day at Glee.

That is, until the practice ended.

As the other students gathered their belongings and made their way to their homes/shopping malls, Mr. Shue made his way to the mattress in his classroom, hoping to get at least a few hours sleep.

"Mr. Shuester?"

Surprised, and not for the last time that day, Mr. Shue turned to find half of his 'Gleeks' standing in the doorway, most of them with confusion on their faces as they took in the mattress and collection of personal effects scattered around it.

Mr. Shue sighed; he knew this day was coming, but that didn't mean he liked that it was happening right now, after the rest of the day had gone so well. "What can I do for you, kids?"

"Mr. Shuester, are… are you living here?" Rachel asked, taking in the fact there was a toothbrush in a cup against a wall, and a suitcase full of clothes at the head of Mr. Shue's 'bed'.

Trust Rachel to get right to the point. "Yes, I've been living here for a while now."

"Why, Mr. Shue?" This came from Finn, looking confused at the thought of anyone wanting to spend more time at school then they absolutely had to.

The look that crossed Mr. Shue's face made Finn want to take back his question, but before he could apologize, Mr. Shue answered him. "My wife and I are getting a divorce."

Finn looked at his feet, Rachel's face had that look that she usually reserved for when her solo was 'taken' or watching Finn talk with Quinn, and even a few Cheerios seemed to find the news unbelievable.

"Mr. Shue, how is that possible? You're, like, the nicest teacher in this school!!" Quinn was utterly shocked; she needed Mr. Shue to stay with his wife so that her baby could have the one teacher Quinn trusted as her daughter's father.

That was the main reason Quinn had even agreed to Mrs. Shue's suggestion; Mr. Shue had cared even more than her own father, even going as far as taking her and Finn to doctor appointments and not even expecting anything for dealing with all their drama.

Mr. Shue met her gaze, letting Quinn know that the developing life growing within her was somehow involved in her teacher's marital problems. "Sometimes, grown-ups find that they're different people than when they were younger and those changes can make them realize that they may not be the people who they fell in love with…"

Mr. Shue's voice cracked at that point and, despite the fact that he

quickly looked away at that moment, the gathering of students knew that he was fighting tears.

"Oh, I'm going to cut me a bitch!" Mercedes' declaration was quickly backed by the majority of the female population of Glee, including Kurt, who added that he might just have to give Mrs. Shue a slap or two because his shirt was Armani-and brand new-and it was nearly impossible to get blood stains out of silk.

Mr. Shue was so shocked at how his kids were defending him, automatically coming to his defense, that it took them yelling a war cry and stampeding their angry way out of his office before he was snapped back into action.

"No, no!" He lurched to his feet and, by some fancy footwork normally reserved for when he sang with them, was able to block the doorway before any of his Glee kids made it out of the room. "This is something that I need to take care of myself… How do you know that this isn't my fault?"

"It's like Quinn said," Artie replied, looking to his fellow 'Gleeks' for support, "you're the nicest teacher here and you're always helping us with our problems, how can you be blamed for this one?"

Mr. Shue's jaw literally dropped at the trust and dedication his kids were showing him; he was tearing up again, only this time, it was tears of joy instead of sorrow.

"As much as I appreciate the death threats against my wife," Mr. Shue managed to choke out, "she isn't worth the trouble you kids would get into, and we don't need any more trouble, especially with Sectionals being only days away…"

The Glee kids groaned good-naturally at Mr. Shue's constant referral to the Sectionals that Saturday, before Rachel brought them back to their original problem.

"You can't stay here, Mr. Shue; sleeping on the floor can't be healthy, think of all the germs you could get, and you could catch a cold if you're not careful…"

"You could stay with one of us," Finn offered, more than ready to open his home to the man who helped him with his pregnant girlfriend and tried to juggle practices so that he and the rest of the football players could do both of the things they loved.

"I've got that extra room above our garage," Mercedes offered, raising her hand like they were taking a survey in a classroom, "It might be a little cold, but we could plug in a spare heater and it's all good…"

"I've got that rec room we never use," Kurt offered up, coming to stand by Mercedes and put a hand on her shoulder, "We'll have to move the ping-pong table and get these adorable sheets I saw at Macy's…"

Each of the children started talking over the others, giving examples of how they could redo one room or the other to make a space for their Spanish/Glee teacher that was just realizing what an impact he made on each of his students lives.

"Kids, kids!!" Mr. Shue had to clap his hands a few times to get his students attention, but they finally quit their debate on who had the best place and looked to Mr. Shue, who suspected that there was something in the dusty classroom that was making his eyes water so much…

"As… touched as I am by all of your hospitality, I'm going to have decline; I need to figure this out on my own and I don't want to burden any of you with any more problems then you're already dealing with. You are children and deserve to live your lives as freely as possible."

Despite looking like they wanted to argue more, Mr. Shue's kids nodded and made their way home, a few of them offering names of hotels, Rachel urging him to'at least find someplace that isn't on the floor' and Finn insisting that he sleep over at Finn's place if unable to find his own.

Nodding at the offer, Mr. Shue sighed as Finn also made his way out of the classroom as well. Slumping down on the mattress, Mr. Shue pulled out an old photograph of a smiling, young couple looking every much in love as Mr. Shue thought they still were.

"After all, you won't be children forever…"

Unbeknownst to Mr. Shue, a couple of laggers had stayed behind and heard his last statement. Thinking for a few seconds, they came up with a plan to make sure that their Glee teacher got some happiness to make up for how horrible his life had been going lately.

* * *

Ken Tanaka was having a generally good day; he and Emma would be married in just three days time, his team was playing fairly decently despite the fact that most of them were still in that damn Glee club, and he was mostly confident that they would win next Friday's game.

Last minute tux fitting tomorrow afternoon, the game on Friday and his wedding on Saturday. The students of McKinley High were treated to a rare sight that school year; Ken Tanaka walking down the hallways, whistling a happy little tune as he made his way to pick up his bride-to-be.

He had just made it to the hallway right outside the councilor's office and only a few doors away from the woman of his dreams when a group of laughing voices caught his attention.

"Aw, come on, Brittany, it's so obvious a blind man could see it!" The very loud, very demanding young girl that stomped through the halls like she owned the place was making the taller blonde girl she was booming at cower, despite the height difference, "You **got** to admit that Ms. Pillsberry looks so cute with Mr. Shue! It's like… Oh, it's like Raul and Christine from _Phantom of the Opera_!"

Ken froze where he stood, the voices coming from just around the corner in only a few feet in front of him. Scanning the hallway, he spotted a nearby men's room and ducked inside, hoping that the voices to would continue on pass him.

They didn't; instead, they stopped **right outside **of the room he was hiding in and proceeded to dig through the lockers on the other side of the hall, still chattering away as they did so and Ken could hear every single word being said…

"Did you see the look on her face when Finn told her that Mr. Shue was sleeping in his classroom?" A tall, brunette female dressed all in blue asked, merely watching as the others gathered things to take home. Ken had never seen her before and decided that she must be the new student his football players were talking about. "She looked soo concerned, it was just too cute!"

"Everybody knows that she's deathly afraid of germs, it's her kryptonite; so it's kinda sweet the way she immediately went all Nurse Nightingale when she found out that Mr. Shue was sleeping on the classroom floor." That wheelchair kid rolled himself behind the girls, backpack on his lap as they all laughed at the scene in their heads.

Inside the men's room, Ken clenched his fists in frustration. Great, even the children were picking up on the fact that Emma was mooning over Will Shuester. The fact that he and Emma were getting married meant nothing here because, hey, she wouldn't let him tell anyone!

"Yeah, Brittany," One of the children was a Cheerio, he could tell by the cheerleading uniform as she swung her ebony hair over her shoulder in an extremely haughty manner, "Even though it's kinda gross to think of teachers even dating, Ms. Pillsberry would totally fit on Mr. Shue's arm like some glamorous fashion accessory."

"But isn't Mr. Shue, like, married or something?" The blonde girl-that would be Brittany-asked, voicing the question that had popped up in Ken's mind the minute this whole conversation started as she shut her locker to look at the other two girls.

"No," The first girl's voice had lost the gleeful-Ken was really started to **hate** that word-tone she had started with as she whispered, "Mr. Shue is going to divorce his wife because of some sort of domestic crisis, and I stand by my statement that Ms. Pillsberry would be the perfect person to help him feel better."

Despite the completely nonsexual way the brunette had stated that comment, the other two girls giggled like she just suggested that Will and Emma decided to go skinny dipping in the Bermudas and even that wheelchair kid was grinning like an idiot.

"Yeah, I bet she'll really enjoy playing nurse with Mr. Shue," Noah Puckerman, the only kid out there Ken recognized, piped up as he rounded the corner. Wiggling his eyes at the new girl, he continued with, "The quiet ones are always the naughtiest."

As the children groaned about the mental image that Puck gave them and the new girl rolled her eyes at the comment, Ken barely had enough self control to wait until the group had left the hallway before stomping off to find Emma and make sure Will wasn't within five feet of her.

If he was, Ken wasn't sure if he'd be able to control himself…

Stomping the last few feet to Emma's room, Ken was about to enter when the light, lilting and absolutely beautiful sound of Emma singing came drifting through the door:

_The smile on your face_

_Lets me know that you need me_

_There's a truth in your eyes_

_Saying you'll never leave me_

_The touch of your hand_

_Says you'll catch me if ever I fall…_

_You say it best_

_When you say nothing at all_

Ken's good mood steadily returned as he listened to his soon-to-be-wife sing so happily, and it lasted right up until he opened the door, cutting her off mid-verse.

Emma's eyes widened dramatically as soon as she saw him in the door, alerting Ken to the fact that something was very wrong. His unease grew as soon as she started methodically cleaning all the pencils on her desk, before moving onto the desk itself, something she only did when she was extremely nervous.

He watched her clean for a little while, waiting for her to say her customary, "Hello, Ken." before he decided on anything, but several minutes went by that left them in an uncomfortable silence until he couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey, M&M," Ken's nickname for Emma made her flinch and his worry kicked up a notch at the trying-not-to-look-guilty smile she shot his way. "What's going on?"

Taking a deep breath, the love of his life met his gaze with a look that sent a spear of ice right through his heart. Ken knew, at the end of this visit, his life was going to change… badly.

"We need to talk…"

* * *

Finn sighed as he entered the his house at the end of another long, tiring day. Leaving the wheelchair he spent most of the evening in and pushing it to the side of the door, Finn called out, "I'm ho-o-ome!" to the women sitting in the kitchen.

"We're in here, Finn!" His mother called back, as Quinn got up to hug her boyfriend, which he only halfheartedly returned, before making his tired way to a seat, flopping down with an exaggerated sigh and nearly taking up half the kitchen when he stretched his legs out.

"How is it possible to be tired when all I did was sit around most of the day?" Finn asked, groaning as he laid his head on his arms and yawned widely, before turning his head to open one bleary eye to gaze at his mother.

His mother had moved over to where her son was sitting as soon as he sat down, now she began to massage the cramps out of his shoulders as she tried to explain, "I think it's because you're used walking around all the time, using your legs without even thinking about it, and now you have to pretend you can't walk at all so it takes an effort."

"It was the only way I could get a job, the **only** way," came Finn's muffled response as he turned his head to lay it on his arms again, along with a small groan when his mother hit a particularly sore spot. "I need to be able to pay for doctors…"

"I know, honey," Finn's mother sighed tiredly as well before kissing the top of her son's head and then laying her cheek against the spot where she kissed as she wrapped her baby up in a hug he gladly returned, "I know…"

Quinn, who had been keeping quiet and moved to the side when Finn first spoke, felt a tear slip down her cheek as she watched how Finn's mother took care of her son, how tender she was with him instead of demanding answers or that he quit his job if it was so hard on him. It was something that she had wished of her own parents, but had been denied as soon as they found out she wasn't their 'perfect little girl'.

Sighing, Quinn swallowed the rest of her tears and made her way to the small guest room that had become her haven in the last few days, needing to get away from the man in the kitchen that was causing the lingering pain in her chest.

Finn, despite his lack of brains on some things, was trying so hard for a child that had conceived by his best friend. A fact that he still didn't know about, despite the fact that Quinn was well on her way into her eighth month of pregnancy.

Curling up on the fold-out bed, Quinn wrapped her arms around her ever expanding stomach and whispered, "I hope everything turns out alright, I hope Finn never finds out that you're really Puck's, and I swear to God, if you come out with a Mohawk-"

"Quinn?" Finn's disembodied voice came floating through the thin walls of the house, making Quinn sit up as quickly as possible and wipe away the residual tear tracks that fell without her notice, "Quinn, where are you?!?"

"In my room!" Quinn called, pulling out a mirror and making sure every single bit of evidence of her tears were gone when Finn walked into the room, smiling his trademark goofy, but loving smile.

"Hey, Quinn," He said, the weariness still evident in his voice as he settled down beside her, resting his head on her stomach and sighing happily, "How's our little girl doing in there?"

Ever since their argument about the name 'Drizzle', Finn hadn't offered up any more new names for 'their' baby and had just referred to her as 'our little girl'. Quinn didn't mind that much, the only thing that made her wince was whenever he said 'our'.

Every single time that simple word left Finn's lips, a tiny voice inside her heart kept urging her to tell him the truth, the whole and unfiltered truth, tell him before she was buried under all the lies. It made her feel so guilty that she lashed out at him, demanding that he get a job to help with baby appointments and paternity vitamins.

"She's fine," Quinn answered, brushing Finn's hair behind his ear and wondering at the man in her lap. He could barely keep his grades up in school, but still managed to hold down a steady job to help care for a child that he thought was his.

Once again, that little nagging voice started sounding in her head again; it was screaming that he needed to know the truth, that the baby would still be his, even though Finn hadn't been the one who made her. The feeling became so strong it force a word past her lips before she even thought about it.

"Finn?" Once more, Quinn stroked Finn's hair, reveling in the feeling of his silky tresses for what she hoped was not the last time. "Finn, there's something I need to tell you…"

Looking down, Quinn let out a soft sigh as she took in Finn's closed eyes and the soft exhales of his breath, Finn's head still resting ever-so-gently on her stomach.

_**It can wait**_, Quinn decided, rearranging their bodies so that they were laying side-by-side, Finn's arm wrapped protectively around her body, _**For now, I'll enjoy the fact that Finn doesn't hate me with every fiber of his being and the fact that I'll probably end up with a Lima Loser instead of one of few men that'll probably get out of here…**_

Quinn blamed her hormones that was making her feel all guilty, causing her tears to flow so erratically, but that nagging little voice in her head told her that it had nothing to do with the baby, and everything to do with how she was made…

**A/N: Song is 'You Say It Best(When You Say Nothing At All)' by Allison Krauss.**


	3. You Can't Always Get What You Want

**Chapter Three: You Can't Always Get What You Want**

Will Shuester couldn't stop thinking about the time he had spent talking to Emma, who had scolded him quite thoroughly about sleeping on the school's germ-ridden floor, and was riding on a bit of a high after finding out that the kids had someone who would take them to Sectionals; yet it was tempered by the fact that he was pushing her and Ken's wedding down the day. Despite the assurances that it was perfectly fine that their wedding was going to be a little later, Will made a note to talk to Ken and express how thankful he was and how much it meant to the kids that they were able to go...

That was why it was a little jarring when the first thing that Will walked in on when he entered the band room the next day was the sight of his Glee kids fighting. Normally, this wouldn't have bothered him so much; having a bunch of performers in the same room generally made for fighting about that creature that they all desired: the elusive spotlight. So when it came to their normal squabbles, Will's only concern was that there were no hurt feelings by the time all the shouting was over...

The sight of Finn's fist flying toward Puck's face, however, immediately told him this wasn't an ordinary snit and he immediately went to jump between the two, slightly surprised that none of the other kids-excluding Quinn and Rachel, who were pregnant and didn't believe in violence, respectively-hadn't tried to stop them already... Maybe it was the shocking look of utter hatred that was dominant on Finn's face that kept them frozen in their spots; although, Rachel did look slightly guilty...

"Tell the truth!" Finn was practically spitting, the rage he was directing toward his 'best friend' was astounding and Will was worried on the Mohawk-ed boy's behalf; despite the fact that Puck was always bragging about his 'guns', Finn's surprise attack had caught him off guard and there was now a bruise growing under Puck's eye. If there was a full on brawl, Will was sure that Puckerman would come off far worse, especially with the blind fury Finn was in... The taller boy was generally reluctant to start any kind of fight, but now...

"The punk just walked in and sucker punched me!" Puck looked as pissed off as Finn, but there was something deeper lurking in his eyes that had Will's eyebrow raising a few inches. It was almost as if the normally self-centered boy looked... scared?

"Don't play dumb, you're too freaking dumb to play dumb!" Matt and Mike, who had helped Will pull Finn off of Puck, dragged the quarterback away from his former best friend and toward the rise of chairs to try to get the volatile boy to calm down. If the glares he was shooting everyone and the way he kept trying to push the two boys off of him were anything to go by, that wasn't going to happen any time soon... or any time in the near future...

"What in the hell is going on?" Joy asked, making a few people jump-she apparently had come in right after Mrs. P, but no one had seen her-yet before anyone could answer her question, their attention was diverted as Quinn demanded, "Who told you this, Finn?"

"Obviously, it was Rachel," Kurt was quick to point out, causing the diva's eyes to widen and deny it while Joy let out a frustrated huff and muttered, "Let's just ignore the girl in the door, for she has no clue as to what in the hell is going down!"

"Yeah, yeah, it was Rachel," The anger was not gone from Finn, but he had gone from slugging people to rocking back and forth as he stared at his girlfriend with none of the warmth she was used to seeing in his eyes, "but I want to hear it from you, I want to hear it from both of you!"

"Finn, just calm down," Will didn't know what was going on, but something told him that this was something that shouldn't be discussed out in the open, despite the fact that most of the club seemed to know what was going on, or had a decent clue...

Finn was having none of it and his anger flared up again as he pushed away Will's restraining hand. "No! They're both lying to me!"

Now Will could hear it, he heard it so clearly in the break in Finn's voice; pain. Underneath all the anger that Finn was lashing out with, there was the deep aching wound of betrayal and hurt that was trying to creep out. He was trying to cover it up and he was pushing away anyone that came near him, trying to hide the fact that they had hurt him; Will could no longer stop what was going to happen any more than he could stop the sun from setting or the world from turning... he could only watch as Finn swallowed and fixed his girlfriend with a steely gaze.

"_**Is. It. True**_?" There it was again, now that all the anger was gone and spent from Finn's body. The thing that really hurt was that Finn wasn't even trying to hide it now; he was leaving it out in the open for all and sundry to see as he repeated his question, "Just tell me the truth, is it true?"

Will watched the scene before as if his life had been rewind-ed: Quinn was staring at Finn and was silently begging him not to make her answer this question, while he was looking at her like he expected her to tell him it was all some kind of sick joke... Will looked over at Puck to see the bulky footballer on his guard and yet Will could see the hint of fear he saw earlier in the normally stoic boy's eyes. Will's own eyes closed in resignation after the first syllable that fell from Quinn's lips, knowing that by the time this was over, nothing would be the same...

"Yes, it's true; Puck is the father."

There was total silence, so quiet you hear the heart breaking in those pain-filled beats; Finn looked like **he** had been the one that had been sucker punched and Joy had moved from the doorway to stand beside Finn in a show of support, glaring at Quinn in a way that had the cheerleader seriously consider running for the hills, but Finn didn't even seem to realized that the girl was even there. "S-so a-all that stuff in the hot tub...? You just made that up?"

"You were the one that was stupid enough to buy it!" Trust Puckerman to be unable to keep his mouth shut; Finn lunged for the boy again, but was once more intercepted by Will. It was Joy who actually connected, and the way she aimed her blows was much more effective.

"So it was **stupid** of him to trust his girlfriend? It was **stupid** of him to trust his best friend? Or some of the people that he **thought** were his best friends?" Joy's gaze had swept the entirety of the Glee room, leaving no one untouched as they flinched under her gaze, coming at last to rest on the cheerleader in front of her, "Rachel's reason's might have been selfish-no, they probably **were** selfish!-but at least she had the balls to tell Finn the **truth**!"

"I am **so** sorry..." Quinn was crying and there was a note of desperation in her apology, but Finn had retreated back into the angry shell he had been in when all of this started and once more pushed away the restraining hands holding him in place.

"Screw this!" His gaze swept the Glee room as well, the hurt, anger and betrayal shining there cutting far worse than Joy's disapproval and wounding some more than others before his gaze landed on the girl that started all of this.

"I'm done with you." He pointed to Quinn, making sure that she knew his intention and hated himself when a small part of him twisted as her face crumpled. "I'm done with... _**I'M DONE WITH ALL OF YOU**_!" Not bothering to see what they would do, not bothering to hear what they would say, Finn left the Glee club and got a bit of the frustration he still felt out on a chair on his way out.

"Glee club is over," Will stated dully, watching the various expressions of guilt, remorse, and fear overtake his kids' faces. He, himself, felt like he had failed the tall teen; Finn had come to him with Quinn's pregnancy and had even told the teacher-blushing madly as he did so-that they 'never really had sex'. He had always thought that meant what Finn called his 'mailman problem' had come into play... Now he saw how wrong that assumption was...

-0-0-0-

"Finn!"

He ignored the voice, running down the halls and nearly barreling down the other kids as he went. The voice called his name repeatedly, getting closer with each calling, and finally catching up with him in the boy's locker room.

"Come on, Finn, I just wanted to talk to-" The hand on his shoulder was too much for the overwrought teen and everything he had been feeling just came spilling out as he spun around, fist raised and hand on the other teen's throat-

-only to see Joy's face slowly turning a alarming shade of blue as one of her hands came up to clench at his arm, a weird sort of gasping sound escaping her lips every few seconds.

"Joy!" Finn's had dropped as soon as he realized that it was his hand that was making her gasp like that and he watched as the other girl cradled her throat, coughing a few times to try and clear it. He wasn't sure what to make of the newest addition to Glee, having only know her for a few weeks... He was also unsure if she had known about Driz-the baby's true daddy, although he was dimly aware that she had been yelling at Puckerman after Quinn told him the truth, it was a little hard to hear over the rushing sound in his ears... "You're not suppose to be in here..."

"Next time, could you maybe just tell me that instead of trying to strangle me?" Joy quipped, smiling slightly to take the bite out of her words. The smile slipped as a thought seemed to take root behind her blue eyes and she looked like she wanted to hug him, but refrained this time, "Then again, maybe touching you after the sort of revelation that you had wasn't the smartest idea after all..."

The last few minutes came back in a rush-Rachel telling him the truth about the baby, the confrontation, Quinn and Puck-causing Finn to find that all the feelings that had started to fade to a dull ache return full force and he was scowling again. "I can't believe that they lied to me."

"I'm sorry." Her voice was soft and sincere, making Finn think of his mother and the way she had held him when she found out about the baby... the baby that didn't really belong to him, that was his best friend's... and his girlfriend's... **ex**-girlfriend now... The room started to blur and the strength that had carried him through the entire damn confrontation and down to the locker room fled him, causing him to sink to his knees and openly weep.

"God, I **was** stupid, wasn't I?" Finn sniffed, feeling Joy's arms wrap around him and letting her. Maybe it was because she was someone new, she didn't have all the popularity pressure, that she had told off the Glee club for lying to him or maybe it was just that he needed it right now. "It was so stupid: 'the perfect temperature for sperm', she said and I believed it... God..."

"No, not stupid," Joy soothed, her fingers stroking through his hair, his head on her shoulder, "Naive, maybe, but not stupid. You wanted to trust her, you saw no need to **not** trust her. It's **not** your fault, Finn; **she** was the one that cheated on you, **Puck** was the one that cheated with her on you... **You **have nothing to feel ashamed for, other than maybe for trusting them too easy. **Don't** let them make you believe for one second that this is your fault!"

Finn was silent for a little while, letting her words sink in and really thinking about it. Joy was silent the entire time, her hands still gently stroking his head, not bothering to fill the silence with forced chatter and he was even more thankful that she had been the one that followed him. It was strange to think that right now he actually **wanted** someone to follow him and try to make him come back to Glee, instead of just trying to get the hell out of there... "I wanted to call her Drizzle..."

"The baby?" Her hand stilled for a few seconds, right as her inner voice reminded her that there was no one else he could be talking about, but Finn didn't seem to notice and continued his original thought:

"Yeah... I love the rain, and right when it starts to rain and right when it stops, there's this soft mist-like rain that feels really nice..." Finn was babbling, he knew it, but if he didn't say something he also knew that he would start crying again and he was getting really tired of crying. It was so much easier to talk about the baby when she was still his... before everything... happened. "I wanted her to be named after something I loved, so she would always know I loved her..."

"I'm sure Drizzle would have loved her name," Joy sighed, pulling the older boy close for another hug, wishing she knew how to make everything better, how to make this unnecessary hurt go away... if only so Finn wouldn't look like someone had just ripped out his heart and stomped on it... If only they had told him sooner, if only it hadn't happened at all...!

_If only, if only... Oh, how powerful those two words are! I'm pretty sure that there are a few 'if only' floating around Finn's head right now..._

"Could you sing to me?"

The request caught Joy off guard and she pulled herself from her thoughts to see Finn looking at her with this half embarrassed-half hopeful expression that practically made her melt. _How could anyone hurt him? He looks like a giant puppy!_ "You really want me to sing to you?"

"Yeah," Finn was quick to explain, "My mom always sang to me whenever I was feeling down or sick, and right now I feel a little bit of both, would you mind giving me that trashcan? Thank you... but if you don't want to-!"

"No, it's okay, I just was making sure," Joy quieted as she thought over what she wanted to sing to the boy, touched that he had shared with her and that he was comfortable around her to talk about the baby... "I'm actually kind of flattered to tell you the truth..." Ah, that song was good...

"_If you're lonely_

_ And need a friend_

_ And troubles seem like_

_ They never end_

_ Just remember_

_ To keep the faith_

_ And love will be there_

_ To light the way..."_

Finn was rocking to the tune and swallowing hard as he held the trashcan close to his chest, almost as if it was a life preserver... It was making Joy nervous and she hesitated, but after a few minutes he nodded at her and she continued, albeit not as sure as before.

"_Anytime you need a friend_

_ I will be here_

_ You'll never be alone again_

_ So don't you fear..._

_ Even if you're miles away_

_ I'm by your side_

_ So don't you ever be lonely..."_

Anybody walking into the boys' locker room would have been a little confused at the sight that greeted them; Finn Hudson being sang to by a girl that wasn't Rachel Berry and him looking like he just found out his dog died. Then again, anyone who entered the boys' locker room would've already heard the news that spread like wildfire through the school...

So, after watching the couple for a few seconds and feeling like an utter heel when he saw how messed up Finn still was, Puck left the room and let Joy comfort his former best friend.

-0-0-0-

Saturday rolled around and no one had seen hide nor tail of Finn; Joy wasn't telling anybody anything after it was found out that she had followed Finn to the locker room, as a matter of fact, she glared at them until they either left her alone or stammered into silence. It was nice that she was keeping his confidence, but Sectionals was looming closer by the hour and they were still missing their male lead, and it was making everyone irritated and nervous.

Jacob Ben-Israel being drafted as the necessary twelfth member caused a lot of groans, especially when he stated that performances made him sick; they, however, lost their grumbling when Joy pointed out that they once again forgot about her and that she could qualify as their twelfth member, but by then it was too late to turn back and drop the boy off. The entire bus ride was spent, after a few half hearted apologies to Joy, listening to Jacob complain about his various orifices acting up to varying degrees and trying to make the moves on Rachel, which only stopped when Joy noticed that Rachel was getting more and more uncomfortable and hissed something into his ear that made him turn a sickly, pasty white, take a seat in the very front of the bus, all while muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'Coach's long lost lovechild'.

"Thank you for that," Rachel replied softly, not really sure how to act around the brunet; besides keeping quiet about Finn, despite her various attempts to try to find out what had happened to the quarterback, her attitude about the Glee club was mercurial at best, downright hostile at worst...

"I didn't do it for you, Rachel Berry, I just hate disgusting pigs like him," Joy responded, her eyes trained on something before her as she settled in the seat Jacob had just vacated. "You may have told Finn the truth as soon as you found out, but you did it for selfish reasons, just like everyone else kept their mouths shut for selfish reasons. So, while I commend you for being honest about it, I'm just as angry at you as I am at the rest of them."

Flinching at the reminder of what was said at the Glee rehearsal a few days ago, Rachel tried once more to defend herself, "I admit that most of my motivation was for the ultimate break up of Quinn and Finn, but I really didn't mean for the violence between Finn and Puck, nor did I want him to retire from Glee! I really only had Finn's best intentions at heart-"

"No, you did **not**," Joy refuted, finally turning her gaze toward the Jewish female and making her wish that she hadn't, for there was none of the tempering that was common in her eyes now. She was angry and wasn't afraid to let Rachel know it. "You **only** wanted him to break up with Quinn so that **you** would be there to 'comfort' him, make him see how good **you** are. **Don't** try to cover that up with all your noise about 'Finn's best interest'! I know that I've only been here for a few weeks, but I've **seen** you, Rachel Berry, I **know**."

After her little speech, Joy once again turned her gaze to the front and didn't attempt to join in any more conversation, even when the Other Asian leaned over the back of their seat to stage whisper to Rachel, "Hey, Rachel! What did you say to her?" nor when it was passed around the bus that Rachel had finally managed to get the girl to say a couple of sentences. She didn't speak until they made it to where Sectionals were being held and that was only when she, along with the rest of Glee, realized that their setlist had been stolen and it was a simple phrase that Rachel agreed with this time, despite her normal aversion to vulgarity and swearing on general principle:

"Fuck me!"

So now here they all were, sitting in the waiting room, having a major meltdown and trying not to bite each others heads off; it was clear who had given their competition their setlist, now the real problem was what they had to do about it; do they forfeit, or do they do the same songs? Would **they** be accused of stealing the songs that they rightfully worked on? Many of the kids looked like they they were about to throw up and Jacob just announced that he wet himself.

Try as she might, Rachel couldn't seem to summon up one of the many speeches that she had held in store and practiced for such an emergency; they all depended on the rest of the Glee club being too scared or too worried to perform and she would lift their spirits and lead them into stunning victory; none of them even considered this base stealing of their past months' work! Rachel was coming pretty close to tears herself and Mrs. P, who was talking on the phone with someone, seemed to channeling all the despair that the rest of Glee was feeling...

It finally came to a head after listening to _**Don't Stop Believing**_being belted out by their competition; when they convened in the Green Room, accusations started flying around the room like paper airplanes in World History and everyone had someone else to blame. The only one that tried to stay out of everything was Joy, but it she was quickly brought into the feuding after Santana remarked that, instead of pointing at her and Brittany, maybe they should look at the girl who showed up just days before they went to Sectionals.

It was a moot point when Brittany admitted to giving Sue the setlist that was now being used against them, but there was a brief flash of doubt that flit through the room and it did not go unnoticed by the brunet alto.

_You would feel the same way if you noticed that your competition was doing something you had planned to do, don't take it so personal..._

Finally understanding what was going on finally gave Rachel the kick start that she needed; she immediately started working on a new setlist that they could preform, trying to get Mercedes to take the ballad again after her beautiful performance before. Having it given back to her was a bit of a surprise-not to mention Kurt admitting that she was their star, albeit reluctantly-and she covered it quickly by stating that there was something she had been working on 'ever since she was four'. The laughter that followed was a sweet change to what usually followed a statement...

They decided on _**Somebody To Love**_ as their closer and were working on a pretty good anticipation buzz when Puck brought them all crashing back to Earth by stating that that still needed a second song to sing and, despite the crude way it was delivered, Rachel was grateful for the reminder despite a few people looking like they wanted to deck the wide receiver. She was just about to ask for suggestions when the room froze as the last person they expected walked through the door, a stack of papers in his hand.

"I have one," Finn stated, holding the papers up and waiting. Nobody moved, however; it seemed as if they were scared that if they acknowledged him, the illusion would be be broken and Finn would disappear, leaving their dreams in a puff of wind. He seemed to realize that after a few seconds pause and just dropped the papers on the table so that they could take them by themselves. He didn't look at Puck or Quinn, instead he just focused on a point on the far wall, giving Joy's questioning look a small smile before continuing, "I found the music online, I used the Cheerios' copier to make copies... and I trashed the thing."

_ Made even more easy by overhearing Coach and Mr, Shue arguing over her leaking the setlist. _Finn watched as the rest of them picked up the papers and pass them around, _She really is a bitch..._

"Mike, Matt," The shock of him knowing the Other Asian's name was not voiced, they were still in a state of shock over Finn's appearance and the fact that the song he found was surprisingly... fitting. "Brittany, Santana; you guys are our best dancers. Figure something out and we'll all followed your lead."

"It's gonna be choppy-"

"Good!" Finn wasn't going to let any doubt take root, it seemed and the panic that had held them in its grip just moments ago was slowly fading as the group smiled at him, "We're best when we're loose..."

Brittany's small smile as she took Mike's hand and brought them together with Matt and Santana boosted Finn's confidence and he decided to try a 'Mr. Shue pep talk'. "Look guys, all we got going for us is that we believe in ourselves and what we're singing about. If we show the judges that, we might have a shot at this thing..."

Despite the fact that he just delivered a speech to a bunch of 'Gleeks', Finn felt like a captain of a army that just rushed in and beat the bad guys at the end of this movie he can't remember the name of when they all immediately began planning their impromptu performance, especially when Joy gave him a little thumbs-up sign and Rachel whispered that it was good to have him back. It was a nice feeling and as soon as he got his spot back from Jacob Ben-Israel, who almost got slapped by all the female members of Glee by the time he finished speaking, Puck decided to speak to him, making it disappear.

"Hey; dude, we cool?"

The activity froze, watching as Finn turned to Puck and stared at him, stared at the offered hand in front of him. Part of them hoped that he would accept it, that the dynamic of the club would go back to the way it was, while part of them wanted Finn to not accept it, to tell the boy off and maybe give him one more punch for good measures, and the last part weren't exactly sure what they wanted and just watched as Finn drew in a deep breath and looked up at Noah Puckerman.

_**Are**__ we cool?_

"No."

Ignoring Quinn's entreaty-_Not my fault, not my fault, not my fault-_Finn made his way over to Rachel, one of the only girls who were ever honest with him-selfish feelings or not-and smiled down at her, marveling at the feeling of something unclench from around his heart when she asked how he was feeling, complete with a meaningful glance behind him.

"Don't worry about me, okay?" he smiled and tried to hide the fact that the encounter with Puck left him with his hands squeezed into fists in his pockets, fingers digging into his palms; instead, he just focused on the girl in front of him and what he wanted to say to her.

"This is all up to you now; you wanted the solo, you wanted the chance to be the star... This is your chance." Finn's face split into a playful grin as he leaned close to her, as if to impart some hidden secret, "Don't screw it up."

The way he smiled at her, letting her know that the last statement was not something he believed her capable of and the way that smile said more than what his words were capable of, made Rachel feel as if she could sing in front of the entire cast of _The Phantom of the Opera_and _Chicago_b_y _**herself**! It overflowed her until the sudden thought that she was going to start this whole thing off by **herself**! It went from being completely amazing to downright terrifying; she was so used to singing in a group and outshining them... and now she was going to be singing by herself... what if she hit a sour note...?

It seemed like there was no time before she was standing in front of the curtain that separated her from the audience, only a few seconds time before the opening notes to the songs she had chosen began playing, telling her that her dream was about to become a reality... Breathing in deep, Rachel grasped the curtains with steady hands-_This is it..._-before pulling them open with a flourish and smiling as the spotlight hit her.

_Don't tell me not to live,_

_ Just sit and putter_

_ Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter_

_ Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade...!_

-0-0-0-

A/N: I have no excuse as to why this update took so long to get out; maybe it was the combination of searching frantically for a job, my grandfather having a stroke, or trying to please my rent obsessed, money laundering brother as he is the one I am now forced to live with... Or it could be that my muse for this story just took a hike... I think it's a combination of both.

Well, now, after watching 'Substitute' and 'Furt', I do believe my muse has decided to come out and play again! Please read and review, as this chapter kinda took off on me!


	4. What You Need

**Chapter Four: What You Need**

The wait for the judges to announce the winner of Sectionals was one of the longest in many of the New Directions glee club's lives, despite trying to hear what they had decided before... It was barely audible and all Artie could make out was that it 'didn't sound good', which did nothing to ease the club's tautly stretched nerves. It had become so hectic that, if you were standing next to Rachel, you could hear her muttering about 'not every casting call is a sure win' and 'this won't be a black spot' because she knew her song was 'pitch perfect'.

Finally, the judges came up to the podium, a interpreter signing for the Haverbrook School for the Deaf Choir just a few steps behind them. They gave the customary speech thanking everyone for coming and showing their appreciation for the arts, somehow squeezing in the fact that Rod Remington was at some show or the other and had been a large contribution to music himself. All in all, the entire collection of show choirs were grateful when they finally came around to announcing the winner(especially Haverbrook, considering their interpreter stopped signing about halfway into Mr. Remington's speech).

"And, in third place in a truly unique show," Rod Remington intoned, somehow pulling off a smile while trying to sound ominous and strict, and failing at both, "is, in their own right, a truly inspirational group of singers, showing all of us that you can overcome obstacles that many would be unable to conquer! As a matter of fact, it reminds me of my own battle with a demon that had defeated lesser men-"

Thankfully, one of the judges cleared her throat at this, saving everyone from would have been an hour long speech about Rod Remington and his fight against his 'demon'. There was a reason that the news was one of the lowest rated shows in Lima, Ohio, even after 'Sue's Corner' had been added to the lineup. "A-hem, perhaps that is a story best keep for another time. We still need to announce the winners of this contest after all!"

"Now, where was I? Ah, yes... In third place at the 2009 Show Choir Sectionals... Haverbrook School for the Deaf Choir!"

There was cheering and applause from the audience, New Directions remembering the sign for 'applause' just half a beat behind as the director for the group walked up and accepted their bronze ribbon, looking a bit sullen at the turn of events but still being a good sport about it. He exchanged a few words with the judges and led his kids off the stage and out a side door, gaining a standing ovation as they made their way out, heads high.

Now Rachel wasn't the only muttering fanatically under her breath-Puck looked like he was mumbling a spastic prayer-and the muttering varied from 'Do **not** puke in front of everyone, do **not** puke in front of everyone...' to 'Please let us win, please let us win, **please** let us win...!' to a combination of the two that varied from '**Don't** puke when we win' to 'Please let us win **before** I puke!' At almost the same time, both Tina and Joy, who were standing on either side of Artie, reached down and took a hold of one of his hands, surprising the boy so much that he completely forgot to worry for a full three minutes, and Finn looked like he was about to faint dead away and probably would have if Mercedes wasn't using him as a support...

As a matter of fact, The Jane Addams girls were the **only** ones that looked like they had absolutely nothing to worry about, and that the entire proceedings were one big bore. One would wonder how they managed to stay so calm if one hadn't looked at the slightly guilty expression on their Choir Director's face as they just stood there, silent and sullen to a member, as the judges finally gathered themselves and went on with the announcing:

"Now this was a tough decision, as we have two truly remarkable groups of singers," Remington went on, grinning widely as he turned and winked at the Jane Addams girls before giving New Directions a simple nod, letting all and sundry know what **his** opinion of the groups was..."Yet, after some careful deliberation we have **all** agreed-" There was a dirty look at one of the judges, a look that not many were interested in, as focused as they were on his next words, for they would be the most important they heard in the next several seconds. Now Puck wasn't the only one praying... "-and we were able to come to a decision that we think is best, that we believe reflects the best of the groups left. So, without further ado, the winner for this year's Sectionals is...!"

-0-0-0-

Will Shuester was alone.

Well, not completely; there _was_ that girl who was cleaning the floors and the other girl who was putting away the food before it could spoil-both of which were throwing him a pitying look every now and again, as if it had been **his** wedding that had been ruined-but this was the loneliest he had ever felt since his disaster of a marriage finally fell apart... and **that** was saying something! He was wandering from table to table, trying to grasp onto the simple and inescapable fact that continued to refuse to settle in his brain; not that he really wanted to admit what was staring him in the eye, more that he needed to accept it and come to terms with it before he went back to his empty house and his now less bright, less full, life:

Emma Philsberry was leaving, not just from his life, but from Lima as well; Monday was going to be her last day and then he was never going to see her face again, never going to have her smile that shy, half hesitant smile in his direction as she helped him balance a life full of drama queens, contradicting personalities and Sue Slyvester. Part of him wanted to race after her, even though he knew it was too late now, and try to find some way to make her stay; whether it was for the kids, for the stable job that she was so imperfect for, or for him... Anything that made her stay in Ohio, stay at McKinley High, and stay near him... as her friend, if nothing else. As much as that would hurt, he would do it, if only she would **stay**...

He walked from table to table, looking at all the decorations for a wedding that was no longer going to happen, a wedding that many believed would end up right where it was as soon as they were told that Emma Philsberry, a germaphobe, was marrying Ken Takanawa, the sweaty, messy gym teacher... a wedding that Will was ashamed to admit that he had a hand in ruining...

_**I couldn't stand seeing him and feeling so ashamed... and I couldn't stand seeing you and feeling so **__**heartbroken**__**...**_

__Pulling himself back into the present, Will made his way out of the reception area, having already paid the bill for the space and giving them an extra tip for holding it open an hour past the time allotted, in an almost desperate hope that he was wrong, that Emma was wrong, and that Ken would be his normal overbearing self, show up and marry the girl that Will now knew he loved. It wasn't the best idea, but it was the only way he knew how to keep Emma in Lima...

Ken did not show (not that anyone could rightfully blame him) and Will was dreading, absolutely **dreading**, seeing him at school on Monday. He knew that, by word or deed, he would painfully learn just how truly **pissed off** he had made the man.

Monday... He was starting to see why the kids hated that particular day so much; not only was Emma leaving, Ken was probably going to find him and chew him out for ruining his life-if not just straight out beating the hell out of him-and he was also going to have to act like nothing was wrong and teach a bunch of kids who had no intention of learning Spanish, not to mention Sue was going to make some comment that would make the day even more wonderful (probably something to do with his hair). The only thing that kept him from phoning Principle Figgins and calling in sick right then and there was the fact that he wanted to see Emma on her last day... and that his Glee kids would need to be consoled if they lost and congratulated if they won. He wasn't the only one that was dealing with insurmountable odds today, and he loved those kids, they were the only bright spot in an otherwise bleak day...

Given the completely morbid direction his thoughts were taking him, Will was completely taken off guard when, as he walked out to his truck, he saw someone standing beside it. Now that in itself wasn't very earthshaking, yes, but that person was actually standing there _grinning _and it was such a wide grin that Will's cheeks hurt just looking at the man. This also was totally unremarkable; the thing that had thrown Will off was not that the man was smiling, it was that the man was smiling at _him_!

"Are you William Shuester, Choir Director for the glee club New Directions of McKinley High?" The man had the unusual talent of being able to stay smiling while he spoke; he reminded Will of a character in a cartoon he saw as a child: the cat had the same unnerving smile and gave him the exact same uneasy feeling, almost as if the man wasn't sure just yet whether he was the scratching post or the sunbeam...

"Yes...?" Will wasn't sure he wanted this strange man knowing who he was; with the way his luck was going, the man could be from Sue, saying that she had found some way to get his car impounded or to gloat that Emma was leaving and he was losing nearly everything he cared about, or that Ken was suing him for 'emotional distress' or something like that... Yeah, knowing his luck, it was definitely something from Sue...

"May I be the first to congratulate you, sir?"

"Huh?"

-0-0-0-

McKinley High had the best gossip mill in the state; most attributed it to Sue Slyvester and her need to spread anarchy and ruin wherever she went, others believed that, in a school where over sixty percent of its attendees were female, it just went with the territory that they would want to know who was doing what, with whom and when, and others still attributed it to being such a small town that no secret was going to be kept long. Whatever the reason, the entire population of Lima, Ohio knew that Ken had been dumped on his wedding day and that the guidance counselor was leaving, and that Will Shuester was depressed about something. Many speculated that it either had to do with the gym teacher's wedding or the counselor leaving, since he had been seen in their company a lot in the past couple of weeks...

Depending on who asked these questions also depended on what the answer was; many of the Cheerios-lead by none other than (you guessed it!) Sue-claimed that the two events coincided and the reason that Will Shuester was so depressed was that he was the catalyst for both of them, much like Benjamin Franklin posing as a woman was the entire cause for the downward spiral that led to the Revolutionary War.

It was into this cheery atmosphere that the New Directions walked into school, elated over their win at Sectionals and eager to see if that win would somehow boost their standing within the school hierarchy. It went without saying that their elation did not last; the entire school population was either talking about the broken nuptials, the reason behind Mrs. Philsberry leaving or how jazzed they all were that spring break was at the end of the week.

"Are you **kidding** me?" Kurt fumed, glaring at a group of girls that walked past, giggling over the fact that someone was actually going to marry 'the gross gym teacher' before they finally 'regained their senses... especially their sense of smell!' "Do we not even exist for these people, except for when they need someone to ridicule and torment? Here we are, one of the few winners in this stupid school-no offense, Finn-and they still treat us as lepers!"

"No, I'm pretty sure that they wouldn't toss lepers in the trash," Joy sighed as she joined them, completely covered in pieces of rotting fruit and some of the lunchroom's 'mystery meat', "Or go through all the trouble of walking all the way to the one behind the cafeteria because 'they knew it would still be full'... Does anyone have a pair of extra clothes I could borrow? I'll give them back at the end of the day..."

The fact that all of this was said in a deadened, dispirited voice was not lost on the other glee members and Joy was immediately offered clothing from three of the girls and Kurt-despite the fact that half of them were the wrong size for her-and the boys offered to walk her to class to make sure that she didn't get ambushed again, which quickly became a general consensus that they should all start traveling in groups to each class to avoid further 'accidents'.

"Did you at least see who did this to you, so I know who to pound?" Puck asked, not cool at all with the fact that a bunch of dudes threw a **girl** in the dumpster. Sure, it was alright for them to throw a **guy** in there, and he would even admit that it was a pretty shitty thing to do in the first place, but to do that to a **girl**? Uh-uh, way **not** cool.

"No, they jumped me from behind," Which scared her more than the actual dumping, but she wasn't going to tell them **that**, "They said that they thought it wasn't fair that everyone had got their 'special treatment' and that I had been avoided, then they argued for a bit about getting Slushies. I tried twisting around to see who was there, but they were too strong... Anyway, I think my struggling made them nervous, so they just hauled me off to the dumpster and threw me in." There was a rustling sound from the girl's locker room, then Joy's voice came and she sounded as if she had swallow one of those helium tanks, "Kurt, do you think you could let me borrow something else? Not that I'm ungrateful, just... do you have something that doesn't cost _**hundreds of dollars**_?"

"This **sucks**, man! You think they'd be happy we at least **won** or something!" Finn fumed as he and Joy made their way to Mr. Shue's Spanish class, Joy now cleaned and dressed in the latest Daisy Furentes. They had finally convinced her to wear it as it was the least expensive thing in Kurt's locker and the only reason Joy would wear it in the first place was because she didn't want to risk getting anything on any of his more expensive outfits... and it was only when Kurt accepted her offer to get what she was wearing dry cleaned as soon as she went home that finally got the clothes on her, and it was the way everybody mentioned that they were the easiest to clean that got her out of the girl's locker room.

Finn thought it was awesome that Joy was being so careful about Kurt's clothing, but the way she moved now, it was like she was scared she get a dust bunny on it or something. It reminded him of Mrs. P and that made him feel bad for some strange reason and he was even more bummed for Mr. Shue. He had seen the two teachers talking a couple of times and had heard the girl whispering about the fact that Mrs. P was the perfect person to help Mr. Shue get past his marriage problems or something like that. Why they were whispering and giggling about it-not mentioned they stopped when they noticed he was listening-confused Finn, but then again, most everything about girls confused him these days...

"_Buenos__ Dias, _kids. Good Morning." Mr. Shue smiled as they repeated the greeting, but there was something that made him seem a little sad too... It was weird, Finn would never have noticed that before, but the man had helped him when he thought he was going to be a father and Mr. Shue did it without judging him. He wished sometimes that Mr. Shue was his dad, but always felt kinda guilty about that and hoped his real dad didn't think he didn't love him or something...

"-inn? Finn? Finn!" A hand was waving in front of his face and he jerked back, which caused the rest of the class to laugh at him, but he was more interested in the fact that Mr. Shue was pointing that sort-of sad smile in his direction. Did he say what he was thinking out loud again? He never knew when he did that, but it was always embarrassing...

"Yes, Mr. Shue?"

"I know you had a hard weekend, and I understand if you are still tired from it, but please refrain from daydreaming in my class," Mr. Shue's smile spread a little, making him look a little more happy, a little more... Mr. Shue-y. It made Finn want to smile back at him, to tell him about their win even though they had promised to do it together when they met up for Glee club... "You never know when knowing Spanish might help you one day..."

"Does that mean you're finally going to teach us to curse in Spanish?" A voice in the back called our, causing the class to laugh a lot louder than they did at Finn, and to draw Mr. Shue's attention to the back of the room and off the quarterback.

"No, Mr. Karloff; for the last time, I am **not** going to teach you to curse in Spanish. I happen to **like** my job and doing so will no **doubt** get me fired..." Mr. Shue turned back to the board and began muttering under his breath, but there seemed to be less weight on his shoulders and Finn was glad for that. He knew how it felt walking around like you had all your textbooks crammed in one backpack... Mr. Shue had helped him with that, maybe he could return the favor... the only problem now was that he had no idea **how**...

"Hey, Finn," It was Joy who called his name this time, tapping on his hand to get his attention. When he turned to look at her, her brows drew together in a way that he knew from watching his mother. It was her 'I'm worried about you' look. "Are you alright? You were spacing out again... Did those football guys do something to you, too? Do you need to go to the nurse?"

Finn shook his head, images bouncing around his mind so fast it was hard to hold onto one of them. Joy's brow's fused even closer together as the minutes wore on, but stayed silent as the images finally slowed down and allowed Finn to get what his brain was trying to tell him. When it finally all came together, Joy was looking like she was going to haul him off to the nurse whether or not he wanted to, so he gave her a grin to show that he was fine.

It didn't seem to reassure her as much as he had hoped; if anything, Joy looked even **more** worried than before and was just about to raise her hand again when Finn covered it with his own, and bent toward her as she looked up at him, whispering, "I have an idea..."

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_ La, la, la, la, la-la_

_ La, la, la, la-la_

_ La, la-la, la, la, la_

_ La, la-la, la~_

_ Guess this mean you're sorry_

_ You're standing at my door_

_ Guess this means you take back_

_ All you've said before..._

She could hear them singing as she packed up the few things in her office that where hers: cleaning supplies, a few photos, and a couple of how-to books that hse never read. It was barely enough to fill a box and the thought saddened her that every mark she made on this school (not that she was a very mark-making type of girl) could be erased so easily...

_ Like how much you wanted  
Anyone but me_

_ Said you'd never come back_

_ But here you are ag~ain..._

Emma thought about the fact that she was leaving a lot since she went home, took off the beautiful wedding gown that made Will stare for so long, the gown that she spent so much time fantasizing that Will was going to be the one waiting for her at the alter in, and fell into bed weeping about the harsh, ugly reality that was her life: Will wasn't the one she was marrying, she had hurt Ken deeply by trying to postpone their wedding and should never have agreed to marry him in the first place... it was selfish and thoughtless and he deserved so much better than her. Emma really hoped he'd find someone who would really love him someday... Someone would didn't unreasonably demand that he never touch her, wear special shoes in the house or that he simply live in a completely separate house to begin with...

_'Cause we belong together now, yeah!_

_ Forever united here somehow, yeah!_

_ Cause you got a piece of me_

_ And honestly_

_ My life_

_ Would suck_

_ Without you!_

Emma loved listening to New Directions sing; it was as if they could take the moment, a feeling, and pour it into every word they sang and almost give it a life of its own. Even now as she was as she was closing the door on this chapter of her life and moving on, she felt as if she was leaving a part-a rather **large** part-of herself behind; with those kids, with this school... with Will. It was almost as if it was a physical pain stabbing at her chest and it was amazing how much her life right now was in tandem with what those kids were singing! That was how she knew she had to leave, that she **needed** to leave; the glee club were much more important than whatever it was that was going on between her and Will, if there even was anything, if there even **could** be anything... the glee club had a future, a bright one if you asked her, and she wasn't sure if Will and her had **anything**...

Turning off the light as she locked the door behind her, Emma made her way down the empty hallway after only a few seconds' hesitation and just listened to the children that Will gave such time and attention to, the children that she was sure he felt like they were his very own, sing a song that saw into the deepest secrets of her heart and pulled it into the light... As they sang the words she was afraid to utter, even now when she had nothing to lose anymore...

_I know that I've got issues_

_ But you're pretty messed up too_

_ Either way I found out_

_ I'm nothing without you~_

She was halfway down the hall when the thought struck her that she hadn't said goodbye to Will yet; she said it to Ken and he barely acknowledged it, much less her, but she had expected no less. Sue didn't even wait to for her to leave before she started measuring Emma's room for a couple of new trophy cases, making comments about the fact that since Emma wasn't going to be around anymore, the glee kids wouldn't have anyone to tell their 'silly little problems' to and the club would collapse like 'a house made out of paper cards'.

Emma had been quick to interject that just because she was leaving didn't mean that Mr. Figgins wasn't going to get another counselor, and she was sure that the new one would be even better equipped to deal with the kids' problems. Sue had just given her a look like she seriously doubted Emma's intelligence before setting down her measure tape and looking Emma square in the eye, which almost immediately make her pull out her hand sanitizer, something she only did when she was nervous.

When Sue began to speak, it was in a tone Emma had almost never heard her use; it sounded almost human, but still had that edge of boastful assurance. It almost made Emma want to hear what was being said, despite the fact that every other word out of Sue's mouth was an insult:

_**"I'm gonna level with you, Strawberry Shortstack. We both know the only reason William even **__**started**__** his little glee club is because you went all Florence Photoshop and showed him a time when having enough butter in your hair to grease a sumo wrestler was sexy. The only reason he **__**stayed**__** at it is because you reminded him of a dumb, faithful dog, yapping at his heels. Now that you are leaving and taking all of your misplaced optimism with you, it will only be a matter of time-well, only a matter of **__**hours**__**, I do believe-before I once again reign supreme at this school and once more have the funding I so richly deserve... you know, I'm almost sad that you won't be here to see the Year of Sue."**_

And then she just walked out, and Emma was left alone to deal with the fact that **Sue Slyvester** had almost-but not quite-admitted that she was going to miss Emma when she left, even if it was purely to gloat over her supposed 'win'. It was mind-boggling and left Emma in a stupor until the last bell for the last class rang and she could no longer put off the inevitable.

_ 'Cause we belong together now, yeah!_

_ Forever united here somehow, yeah!_

_ Cause you got a piece of me_

_ And honestly_

_ My life_

_ Would suck_

_ Without you!_

It was almost as if thinking about him summoned the man; something had told her to turn back, one last glimpse of the place she worked so hard at or something, and there Will was... He just exited her office and she felt a sudden thrill that he had looked for her, not caring if it was simply to say goodbye or not, and that thrill turned into a full on body shiver when he started to walk toward her, eyes completely intent on her face. It was all she could do to just remain upright...

Then he was in front of her, taking the box that was her focus point from her hands and making her put them on his chest to make sure she didn't fall. She tried to speak, but all that got out were his name and the first syllable of the word 'what' before he placed a finger on her lips, causing all of her nerve endings to go on alert... Yet, this wasn't the crawling, anxious itch that always sprang up when someone touched her; this feeling was warm, comforting, and she could sense it all the way from where he touched her to the very tips of her toes.

Praying that what she believed was happening was **really** happening, Emma slowly closed her eyes, even though she was half scared to; there was this bone-deep, gnawing fear that all this was another one of her vivid dreams and that she would wake up in her bad, jobless and alone... and that fear disappeared as soon as Will's lips touched her own.

There was no way that this was a dream; never in all of her slumbering moments had she ever felt more aware of her surroundings, of the feeling of Will's lips pressed silk-soft against her own, of his hands holding her, gentle but firm. It was as if he was just as scared as she that this was all going to disappear in a puff of smoke and he thought that if he just held on, just felt her rapidly racing heartbeat underneath his fingertips, it wouldn't go away this time...

The need for oxygen became pressing matter after a few seconds, but Emma would have oh-so-gladly suffocated if it meant the moment between her and Will could last forever. However, Will either could tell that she needed to breathe, or needed to breathe himself, and pulled away to look at her in that way that had frozen her to the spot in the first place. There was another few seconds were Will just stared at her and didn't say a thing, as if he was as shocked as she was at what just happened between the two of them.

Then he smiled.

_'Cause we belong together, now, yeah!_

_ Forever united here, somehow, yeah!_

_ 'Cause you got a piece of me_

_ And Honestly_

_ My Life_

_ Would Suck_

_ Without You!_


End file.
